Pneumatic-organ



(No Model.) i 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. CLARK.

PNEUMATIG ORGAN.

,936. PatentedApr. 26, 1898.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

M. CLARK.

PNBUMATIG ORGAN.

No. 602,936. @da Patented Apr. 26, 1898.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

M. CLARK.

PNEUMATIC ORGAN.

No. 602,936. Patented Apr. 26, 1898.

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UNITED STATES PATENT @Erren- MELVILLE CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PN EUMATIC-ORGAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 602,936, dated April 26, 1898.

Application tiled June Il, 1897. Serial No. 639,396. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, MELvILLn CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Pneumatic-Organs, which are fully set forth-in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a fore-and-a'ft vertical section of my improved pneumaticorgan. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the pneumatic coupler and operating devices of the form shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar elevation showing a coupler divided by octaves. Fig. 4t is a detail section, on an enlarged scale, on Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a section at the line 5 5 on Fig. A on a still further enlarged scale. Fig. (3 is an enlarged detail section at the line 6 6 on Fig. l. Fig. 7 is a still further enlarged detail section at the line 7 7 on Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a detail elevation showing the mechanical connections from a coupler-stop to operate an intermediate section of the coupler-board. Fig. 9 is a detail elevation of a portion of the coupler-board seat. Fig. 10 is a detail elevation of a portion of the mechanical connections from the coupler-stop to one of the extreme coupler-board sections. Fig. 1l is a front elevation of a portion of the coupler-board, having exterior tube connections between the corresponding ports instead of interior ducts, as shown in the other iigures. Fig. 12 is a detail edge elevation or plan of the structure shown in Fig. 11.

A is the wind-chest, which communicates at a with the exhaust-bellows B.

C C C C C C are the reed boards or blocks having the reed-chambers.

D D, dre., are the reed-valves.

E E are the motor-pneumatics for operating the valves.

F is a primary pneumatic which controls the motor-pneumatics E E.

A is the supplemental wind-chest connected to the wind-chest proper by hollow brackets or throat-pieces at the ends of the windchest, one only of said hollowr brackets or throat-pieces being shown at Ab, that at the opposite end being precisely similar.

The primary pneumatics F are located outside the wind-chest, being mounted on the primary-pneumatic duct-board G. Each primary pneumatic has attached to its fluctuating side the tubular valve-stem H, which eX- tends through the port a in the supplemental wind-chest AL and carries the two valves Il and Hb, which seat, respectively, at the outer and inner ends of the ports cr. The motorpneumatics .Il E are mounted on the under side of the board E, which overhangs the wind-chest proper and constitutes the under side of the supplemental wind-chest An. This board E" has a rib Eb extending along the middle of its width from end to end-that is, from right to left of the instrument as awhole. From each of the ports a a duct al extends down to the board E and there registers with the branch ducts AC AC, which lead to the pneumatics E E, respectively, and so that the valves HL and Hh, seating, respectively, outside and inside the wall of the wind-chest supplement, control the communication of. the motor-pneumatic both with the wind-chest and with the outer air.

As described up to this point the structure is substantially identical with that which is shown in my 'former patents, particular reference being had to Patents Nos. 576,030 and 576,032, dated January 2G, 1897.

In the primary duct board G there are formed ducts G, leading to the primary pneumatics, respectively, and opening at the upper edge of the board, where nipples gf are provided, to which are attached flexible tubes K, which lead to the tracker-ran ge L, to which they are connected in a similar manner and constitute the continuation of the ducts L of the tracker-range, which are controlled by the perforated music-sheet M. From the duct G a branch duct Gl leads back into the forward wall of the wind-chest supplement and in said wall down between the ports a, through the board E and the rib Eb thereon, and is provided at the lower side of the rib with nipples gb, to which, tubes Gc are connected and extending through the wind-chest, and by means of similar nipples gc are connected at the bottom of the wind-chest with the ducts Gd, which lead forward through the bottom board and emerge outside the windchest, constituting ports in proper position to be controlled by valves N, which are operatedby the man ual-keys, respectively. By

means of the manual-keys the primary pneumatics may be vented and the sounding devices made to speak without regard to the action of the perforated sheet M at the trackerrange, or the action of the perforated sheet at the tracker-range may cause the sounding devices to speak without regard to the manual-keys. By extending the vent-passage from the primary pneumatics to the manualkeys inside the wind-chest the structure is much more thoroughly protected, and when flexible tubes are employed for the purpose there is an advantage in having them inside the wind-chest in that they are exposed outwardly as well as inwardly to the rarefied air of the wind-chest and are therefore not collapsed by the interior rarelication, as is the case when they are located outside the windchest, and that therefore when the pneumatic is vented by admission of atmospheric air the effect of such admission is not delayed or diminished by the necessity for the reexpansion of the duct to its full size.

Another small feature of improvement consists in the provision of an easily-applied guide for the tubular valve-stem, this valvestem being mounted on the fluctuating wall of the primary pneumatic, which, having soft and flexible sides and usually a leather hinge, is liable to be more or less inaccurate in its movement, especially in View of the weight of the valve-stem extending off from it. In order, therefore, to center the valvestem in the port a, I make a coil O of line Wire, (see Figs. t and 7,) the coil being large enough to permit the valve-stem to work freely through it and bend down the ends of wire, as seen at O O', spread apart far enough to require little compression to cause them to enter the port an. Being thus slightly compressed and entered they hold the device substantially centered in the port, so that the valve-stem extending through the coil is centered with sufficient accuracy to cause the valves to seat with certainty. The coil O should be slightly elongated vertically, because the valve-stem, moving as the fluctuating wall of the pneumatic swings from its upper end, has a slight range of vertical movement in addition to its endwise thrust.

The chief feature of improvement shown in the drawings relates to the coupling devices. From the ducts G in the primary-pneumatic duct-board two ports Gf and GfIg extend forward, opening at the forward face of the board. The coupler-board R has an upper row of ports R, adapted to register with the ports Gf, and these ports are connected by oblique channels with the port Rb, adapted to register with the ports Gfg one octave distant. felt strips r, so that when the coupler-board is applied to the face of the primary-pneumatic duct-board it serves as a valve to close all the ports Grf and Gg, except when it is set so that the ports in the coupler-board regis- All the ports Rn and Rb open through ter with the ports in the primary-pneumatic duct-board. Vhen the ports are thus registered, it will be seen that upon the venting of any primary pneumatic, whether by manipulation of the manual key pertaining thereto or by action of the perforated musicsheet over the tracker-rango, the primary pneumatic pertaining to a note one octave distant is also vented and that note is made to speak, and if the coupling-board is extended over the'whole front of the primary-pneumatic duct-board, that board having the ports Gf and Grg throughout, not only will the note one octave distant: be sounded, but also the corresponding notes in every octave throughout the entire range of the instrument. It will also be observed that. this expedient constitutes a means of coupling down as well as up for an upper note having the primary pneumatic vented by the action of a manualkey or the music-sheet. The upper port Gf in the primary-pneumatic duct-board affords communication with the lower port Grg of a pneumatic one octave above, and the lower port Grg in the primary-pneumatic duct-board affords communication with the upper port Gf of the octave below, and so on in series. The coupler-board is retained in close contact with the primary-pneumatic duct-board by means of the bow-springs T T, and springs S S are provided, reacting upon the upper edge of the duct-board, being stopped by brackets s s, which also afford means for securing the springs T T, said springs S S tending to hold the couplerboard downward against the stop fr and at a position where its ports are out of registration with the ports of the board G. A rock shaft Tb, suitably mounted below the coupler-board, has short lever-arms TC, which are connnected, respectively, by links Td Td to the lower edge of the coupler-board. Said rock-shaft has a longer arm TQ, from which a link Tf extends down at one end of the wind-chest, and is connected to the horizontal arm of a bell-crank lever Tg, whose vertical arm extends downward and is connected to the stop Th, which protrudes at the organ-front. This enables the operator, by drawing out the stop, to raise the coupler-board to the position of registration and thus couple the octaves, and this action, carrying the pivotal connections between the lever-arms Tc and T1 just past the plane of the axis of the rock-shaft and the pivots of the other ends of the links, causes the board to be automatically locked in the position to which it is there lifted until the st-op-knob is pushed in.

In order that it may be possible to use such coupling device to couple only two or more oetaves at will and to limit the coupling action, so that, as is desirable, there shall be no coupling across the center of the manual, the downward coupling of the upper half being limited at the center and the upward coupling of the lower half being similarly limited,

IOO

IIO

I divide the coupling-boards into octave lengths R', R2, R3, R4, and R5, as shown in Fig. 3, providing` separate operating devices for each octave length. In order that space may be obtained for the adjustment of each octave length independently of the adjacent lengths, I preferably construct the board G, with its ports and ducts and the primary pneumatics to which they pertain, respectively, in octave groups with space between the groups, (indicated at GX on Fig. 3.) This produces the necessary space between the successive octave lengths of the coupler for the coupling movement of any octave length withoutnecessitating the movement of any adjacent length. Upon consideration of this structure :it will be seen that in an instrument, for example, of six octaves, tive octave lengths of coupler will be required and that by leaving uncoupled one intermediate octave length--as, for example, RS-the effect will be that, commencing with No. 1 of the octave above the middle, all notes above and including that note of the manual are properly coupled, and commencing with No. 12 of the next octave below the middle all notes including that note are properly coupled, but that no coupling is effected past the divisional line between said notes l and l2. In each division of the manual at both sides ot' the divisional line the coupling is effected both up and down-that is, for example, any note in the middle octave of the three upper octaves being struck will sound both the octave above and the octave below the note so struck, while the upper octave couples down only because there is no octave above it to couple with, and the rst octave of this upper division couples up only because there is no octave below it in this division. In the lower division the octave next below the divisional line couples only down, and the rst octave (the lowest) couples only up, because there is nothing to couple with below it. The middle octave of this division couples both with the octave above and the octave below it. This division may be made between any two octaves by leaving out of coupling position the octave-section of the coupler whose middle point is at the desired divisional point.

In constructing an organ with the conventional arrangement of manual-that is, with middle C practically at the middle of the manual and having five, seven, or any other odd number of full octaves--the half-octaves at the upper and lower ends may be provid ed with a separate short coupler or may be controlled in connection with the adjoining full octaves. Vhen the divided coupler is employed, it is convenient to construct the operating devices as shown in Fig. 3, the octaves above middle C having the coupling devices operated by stops at the lower end, the octave length of the coupler which is left out of coupling position in order to give the effect of a divided coupler between middle C and D below being operated by a stop at the middle of the organ-front, the operating devices being identical with those already described except as to location. The next octave length at either side has its rock-shaft telescoped within a tubular rock-shaft which pertains to the next outer octave length and protrudes t rom the latter to receive the crankarm by which it is operated, the tubular rockshaft having a similar crank-arm similarly actuated by an independent stop-knob. All the stop-knobs at each end being adjacent can be operated simultaneously when it is desired to couple the entire half, upper orlower, and when it is desired to couple the entire manual the middle stop-knob will also be operated.

I claiml. In a pneu matic-organ, in combination with the wind-ch est, the motor-pneumatic and the valve which controls the communication of the same with the wind-chest; the primary pneumatic to which such valve is attached, said valve having its stem extending through the port which the valve controls, and the guide O, made of wire coiled to encompass the stem and having its ends extended to bear against the sides of the port.

2. In a pneumatic-organ, in combination with the wind-chest and the primary pneumatic exterior thereto, a duct which leads therefrom terminating within the wind-chest; a tube connected into the duct and constituting a continuation thereof, such tube extending through the wind-chest, and a duct in the bottom wall of the wind-chest into which said tube is connected, said duct in the bottom wall leading to a port in the vicinity of the manual, and a valve operated by the manual to control said port.

3. In a pneumatic-organ, in combination with an erect wind-chest having reed-blocks mounted on its vertical walls, motor-pneumatics above the reed-blocks and primary pneumatics above the motorpneumatics adapted to control the latter, a duct from each primary pneumatic leading through the wall of the .wind-chest at the upper part; a duct leading through the wall of the windchest at the lower part, and a valve actuated by the manual-key which controls the outer end of said duct, and a tube within the windchest connecting the duct at the upper part with the duct at the lower part.

4. In a pneumatic-organ, in combination with the primary pneumatics which have each a duct leading to a pair of ports located at a couplingboard seat, such coupling-board seat, and a coupling-board having ports arranged in pairs which correspond to and are adapted to register with the ports of the ducts which lead from the pneumatics respectively; ducts which connect one coupler-port of each pairwith a coupler-port an octave above, and the other coupler-port with a coupler-port an ICO IIO

octave below, and suitable means for moving the coupler to cause its ports to register or not register with the ports in the seat.

5. In a pneumaticsorgan7 in combination with primary pneuinatics having each a duct leading to two ports at a coupling-board seat, all said ports constituting' two sets, one of the ports pertaining` to each pneumatic being in one set and the other port being in the otherl set, such coupling-board seat, and couplingboards pertaining` to the several oct-aves respectively, each board having ports arranged in two sets corresponding to the two sets of the coupling-board ports7 one set of the cou pler-board Vports being adapted to register with one set of the coupler-seat ports pertaining to a given octave, and the other set of ihe coupler-board ports being adapted to register with the other set of the coupler-seat ports pertaining to the next octave,and means In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, at 35 Chicago7 Illinois, this 24th day of May, 1897.

MELVILLE CLARK. Vitnesses:

CHAs. S. BURTON, JEAN ELLIOTT. 

